Children under 22 Now Considered Dependents on Canadian Immigration Applications
As of October 24, 2017, children
under the age of 22 are considered as dependents on all immigration programs
administered by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), including
for economic migrants and refugees. For the past three years, only children
under the age of 19 were considered as dependent.
Children who are 22 years of age or
older, but who rely on their parents due to a physical or mental health
condition, will continue to be considered dependent children.
The age limit change will not be
applied retroactively to applications submitted on or after August 1, 2014, and
before October 24, 2017. IRCC explained this by stating that ‘applying the
change to in-process applications would require a pause in finalizing many
permanent residence applications and would impact processing times in many
programs.’
The government of Canada believes
that a higher age limit will have more positive social and cultural impacts by
keeping families together, while also enhancing Canada’s economy by making it a
destination of choice for skilled immigrants who want to keep their families
together.
“Raising the age of dependents lets
more families stay together. This will bring economic and social gains to our
country as it enhances our attractiveness as a destination of choice for
immigrants and refugees,” stated Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Ahmed
Hussen.
The change is further evidence of
the current federal government’s progressive outlook on immigration generally.
Other recent measures include changes to Canada’s Citizenship Act, allowing immigrants to transition to citizenship more
easily and quickly than previously.
To find out if you are eligible to
immigrate to Canada permanently, fill out a free online assessment form.
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